WARNING:
The opinions expressed and linked to in this blog are not necessarily mine (anymore).

My ideas are constantly changing as I learn. Sometimes they even change midway through writing a post.

Monday, September 8

Yay! I've added the ability to comment back to my blog. It looks like this new system allows me to delete/change comments (not that I expect to do that, but it's good to be able to) and also sends me an email of each comment.

Virtue Pure posts tend to be a bit longer than my attention span can normally withstand, and I am not especially fond of roleplaying, but I thought the article helped me look at ideas in an interesting new way.

Roleplaying seems like it should be a very fun and interesting form of entertainment and a great way to learn, but it is hard to get the most out of it when one is self-conscious about playing a role. I can enjoy it briefly with young children - who for some reason do NOT make me feel self-conscious. (How can I be self-conscious with people who so obviously delight in whatever attempt I make and join in so enthusiastically?)

I also have a hard time buying into the character or setting for very long or caring at all what happens to them (and should I care, it always seems that something bad is happening to them ;P ) Perhaps it's a matter of practice? Anyhow, good luck to Virtue Pure.

Thursday, September 4

CD Prices

They're dropping. Apparently sales have been dropping throughout the industry over the last 3 years and this is a move to improve sales.

I found it interesting that the recession or "economic downturn" wasn't mentioned as a contributing factor to the drop in sales. I can't help thinking that a tight budget has many people cutting their budget. Being able to download the music free probably has something to do with the cuts hurting CD sales.

Wednesday, September 3

News is boring or upsetting or interesting

I remember now one of the reasons I've been avoiding news. Here's my summary of a typical day of news: someone appearing in court or facing sentencing or being cleared of charges, people dying or being memorialized, Congress debating some issue and trying to decide between two or more stupid choices, a politician travels somewhere, something going on at the U.N. It used to be that I would read or watch the different issues and react to them meaningfully with shock, horror, outrage, and I suppose on occasion with relief or joy. Eventually my reactions have all become a sort of dull resignation.

Now that I've taken a break from the news, though, I do feel a certain curiousity about the current state of things. Candidates for presidency are starting to make announcements. It seems like it wasn't very long ago that I was wondering if I should brave the rain to find out if Bush won the election. Like him or not, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to witness the victory speech of a new President.

I'm curious to get a look at the stock market and economic news. The bit about celebrities being asked to sign a Scientology "Contract" looked interesting with the implications it might have for other cults or religions.

I have decided to set about correcting the tendency of mine to avoid news. I am still thinking about what sources I should ultimately look to in order to become more informed about current events. For now, I will be browsing Fox News.

Iraq

I am slightly embarrassed to admit that I was surprised to see the U.S. is handing over partial control of Iraq to Poland. You see, I had forgotten that the war was likely over *blush*. I haven't managed to avoid the news completely, so I remember something about Saddam and his son being killed or missing in action. I don't remember the details.

I find it interesting that so many of the deaths of U.S. soldiers have happened since President Bush ended the major fighting. My first impulse was to be happy to see that so few Americans have died (compared to other wars or even compared to people dying in violent crimes in America, likely), but then I thought about the 248 people whose friends and family are now mourning them. :(

I suppose one could think of all the families who are NOT now mourning the loss of their loved ones.